The underlying concern here has vexed theologians for centuries: How can evil happen in a world that is lorded over by a good and all-powerful God? As CNN's readers struggled to make sense of God's presence (or absence) in the Aurora, Colorado, massacre, I counted seven different answers to this question:

1. There is no God.

Self-professed atheists may make up only 2% of the U.S. population, but they are extraordinarily active online, and on CNN's Belief Blog. A commenter who identified as Jason spoke for them when he wrote, “Where was God? He was where he has always been. Nowhere because God does not exist.” Bob Dobbs agreed: “God is imaginary. The question is moot.”

Many in this camp also quoted the ancient Greek philosopher (and skeptic) Epicurus:

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?

2. Don’t blame God, blame Satan.

Many theists on the site described the world as a battleground between God, who is working for good, and Satan, who is working for evil. “As long as Satan is loose to promote evil, bad things will happen to good people,” wrote kat.

3. Don’t blame God, blame us.

Probably the most common response from Christian commenters was that evil is a result of free will. Do we really want to be “puppets” or “robots"? Of course not. So God has given us the will to choose either evil or good.

"It's been said that the only thing we can truly give God is our will because its the only thing we possess that is uniquely ours. Everything else was given to us by him, and is, in effect, not ours to give in the first place. As such, and despite his omnipotence, he cannot intervene. . . . He only possesses power where power can be possessed - and controlling our actions is not within that realm."

Here Deborah also chimed in: “This act of violence was not God's will. I get so tried of people blaming God for evil acts. Humans of their own free will do evil things.”

4. God was behind the massacre, and it was just.

Some believers saw God’s righteous hand in the Aurora massacre, inflicting a just punishment on a wayward nation now run by secular liberals rather than conservative Christians.

Lenny wrote:

"We as a country have been telling God to go away. We told him to get off our currency, get out of our schools, get out of our Pledge of Allegiance, take your Ten Commandments out of our courthouses, get those Bibles out of hotels and no graduation ceremonies in our churches. How can we expect God to give us his blessing and his protection if we demand that he leave us alone?"

Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, took a similar tack in an appearance on the Heritage Foundation's "Istook Live" radio show, laying the blame at the feet of a nation that has turned away from its God:

"You know, when people say, where was God in all of this? Well, you know, . . . we’ve threatened high school graduation participants that if they use God’s name that they’re going to be jailed, we had a principal of a school, and a superintendent or a coach down in Florida that were threatened with jail because they said the blessing at a voluntary off campus dinner. I mean, that kind of stuff… where is God? Where, where? What have we done with God? We told him that we don’t want him around. I kind of like his protective hand being present."

5. God was present at the massacre but with the victims, not the perpetrator

One classic claim in the Abrahamic tradition of Jews, Christians and Muslims is that God is with those who suffer - the poor and the oppressed. Some commenters saw God’s miraculous hand in the midst of this suffering, not causing it to happen but bringing it to an end. “This may sound crazy,” wrote Diana, “but I believe God had a hand in that the gun jammed so that more people weren’t killed.”

The most common claim in this category came from peacemaker, who wrote, “God is and was with the victims and s/he is weeping.” In a more explicitly Christian vein, Lauren wrote: “He was there in the theater, pierced by bullets with the victims. He was scarred by the shrapnel. His eyes were scorched with gas and then burned with tears as He mourned alongside the broken.”

6. Which God?

Some commenters interrogated the question itself, arguing that the knots it twists us into are rooted in what commenter Ego_Death called “a false idea of what God is.” After all, the problem of evil in a world ruled by a sovereign and good God only presents itself if you posit one personal God who is both good and all-powerful.

"But just because this kind of God does not appear to exist, does not mean that God, in fact, does not exist. I think many have developed a more mature and realistic perspective . . . in which God exists as a pure fundamental consciousness or state from which all of existence arises. This God does not control anything, but rather continues to perpetually emanate as reality . . . God was present in all of the victims, and everyone else. God was present in the killer as well. The tragedy is that the killer's awareness was so distorted and twisted that he could not see or be aware of the intrinsic priceless value of every person he gunned down."

Evoking something more akin to the “watchmaker” God of the deists, who makes the world and its laws and then refuses to intervene in its operation, Norm wrote: “God is not involved in our everyday mundane activities. How arrogant of man to think he’s the center of the universe and has God’s constant attention and every action is ‘God’s will.’”

Taking a different tack, "varun" invoked the teachings of the beloved Hindu scripture the Bhagavad Gita:

"Only the followers of Semitic religions have problem with understanding this - because they do not believe in rebirth and karma. As soon as you introduce these two concepts into (the) picture along with the eternal indestructible soul (something Semitic religions do believe in), everything makes sense. Read Bhagavad-Gita and everything would be as clear as daylight."

7. Who knows? It’s a mystery

Agnosticism is a rare virtue in the United States nowadays, but there were a few commenters who admitted to something less than the absolute certainty exhibited by atheists and evangelicals alike. "The answer," wrote Terry, "is we don't know where he was." Fluffy the Gerbil of Doom saw this "God works in mysterious ways" move as “ultimate cop-out/rationalization,” but I am not so sure.

In September 1862, in the midst of a much greater American tragedy, Abraham Lincoln wrote a private “Meditation on the Divine Will” in which he struggled to make sense of what God was doing in the Civil War. He later reworked those reflections into his second inaugural address, one of the greatest speeches in American history.

Surveying the corpse-ridden landscape of North and South, Lincoln observed, “Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other.” Clearly there was little good in slavery, he reasoned, yet equally clearly God was not giving a swift and sure victory to the Union. So what was God up to? In the end, Lincoln had to admit he did not know. Or, as he put it, “The Almighty has His own purposes.”

I suppose this is in a sense a “cop-out,” but it is a humble one, uninfected by the absolute certainties (either pro- or anti-God) that have shed more blood on earth than agnosticism ever will. It is also a classic example of answering a question with a question: What is God doing with this war? Who knows?

“Josephpusateri” also answered our question with a question. His comment was in my view the best of the hundreds I read, so I will end with it here:

"Oh, the blindness of such a question... as if only theodicy was a relevant question in white, American suburbs. Where is God in Afghanistan? Where is God in Gaza? Where is God in Syria? . . . Where is God, indeed."

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Stephen Prothero.

soundoff(4,074 Responses)

tazanastazio

WHEN YOU DO READ SOMETHING, WHETHER IT IS WRITTEN IN A BLOG OR A SCIENCE BOOK, BEAR IN MIND THE POSSIBLE MOTIVATIONS OF THE AUTHORS AND BY USING GOOD JUDGEMENT LEARN WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR A TEST (LIKE PARROTS IF YOU HAVE TO), BUT KEEP WHAT IS THE TRUTH AS GUIDANCE THROUGHOUT YOUR LIVES.

WHAT ATHEISTS DO NOT LIKE ABOUT THIS THEORY IS SIMPLY THAT GOD IS PROVEN MATHEMATICALLY AND SCIENTIFICALLY, IN ACCORDANCE WITH GOD'S BIBLICAL DEPICTION. AND THAT IT GIVES ADEQUATE ANSWERS TO UNANSWERED BY THEM QUESTIONS, SUCH AS WHAT CAUSED WHATEVER CAUSED THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE, AND WHAT CAUSED THAT E.TC. AND WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF EXISTENCE, AND WHAT IS GOING TO BE THE OUTC!O-ME OF THE HUMAN EXISTENCE AFTER "DEATH." WHAT IS "GOOD" AND "EVIL," "POSITIVE," AND "NEGATIVE," "HEAVEN" AND "HE!L-L,"
"ANGELS," AND "DAEMONS," "CHRIST" AND "DEVIL." WELL IT IS ALL IN THE BIBLE BUT TO THOSE OF YOU WHO PREFER TO CALL THEMSELVES "MODERN," "EDUCATED" AND "SOPHISTICATED," I GIVE YOU "INFINITISM."

July 30, 2012 at 2:38 am |

Mirosal

So, you're saying that the bible is your only source of "evidence"? Please list these mathematic and scientific "proofs" you speak of.

July 30, 2012 at 3:15 am |

joseph

What Christian dogma are you talking about? Calvinism perhaps? 1600s? 1700s? Abandoned justifications for slavery?
Where in any of the scriptures - Torah, Bible, Koran, Bhagavad Gita, Tao te Ching, sutras, etc - does it say that man does not have have free will?

July 30, 2012 at 2:21 am |

Mirosal

Apparently you lack 2 things. One is the ablilty to use the "reply" button. The second would be the use of simple logical reasoning. In your big book of 3000 year old fairy tales (bible) it states that "god knew you before you were born" The book claims that "god" knows all, past present and future, therfore omniscient. "He" already knew before you were born if you were going to "heaven" or "hell". So no matter WHAT you do, the outcome has already been decided. "God" knew where you were going, so free will is moot, seeing as how the final score was known before the players took to the field.

July 30, 2012 at 2:31 am |

Mark from Middle River

Was it known by the players though? If we go by some folks interpretation of the text, that the ANgels were not allowed free will and were aware of such. Being such, they could not do anything but glorify God. We are given the choice. You have made your choice and that is cool. That us who are Faithful have made ours, is that also cool?

July 30, 2012 at 2:37 am |

Mirosal

You only THINK you've "made the choice", but according to your own book, your "god" already knew your choice before you even knew there was a choice. You are under the illusion you were free to choose, but the outcome was already known. your "decision", as it were, was irrelevant, for it was alredy known to your "god". Therefore, it (free will) is a moot point.

July 30, 2012 at 2:43 am |

joseph

As Neo said in the Matrix Reloaded, "the problem is choice." Do you choose the tree of life versus the tree of good and evil; the red pill versus the blue pill; follow the law versus break the law; drug versus drug free, etc.

God gave us free will because otherwise we'd be robots and where would the fun be in that. How can you have a relationship with a robot? The robot can only do what he or she is programmed to do. The point of all of the scriptures insofar as I can see is that God wants to have a relationship with us. God wants us to know that we are not alone; that we have worth; and that we have to look for the meaning in life. It is the search for meaning that drives us. The thought of nothing would be too much to bear.

July 30, 2012 at 1:37 am |

Mirosal

Sorry, but your own Christian doctrine claims that your "god" is omniscient. With omniscience, there cannot be free will. Think about that, and get back to me when you realize why.

July 30, 2012 at 2:01 am |

tazanastazio

@ JAMIE

I AM NOT GOING TO TAKE ALL NIGHT TO RESPOND TO YOUR BLINDING ARROGANCE. YOU SAID YOU WORKED WITH ASTRONOMERS AND PHYSICISTS, IT IS TRUE DEGREES COST A LOT OF MONEY (WHAT DID IT COST YOU TO GET THAT DEGREE, BECAUSE YOU SURELY ARE GIVING SCIENCE MAJORS A HELL OF A BAD NAME). WELL DUST OF YOUR PHYSICS BOOKS AND YOU ANSWER THIS INSTEAD: HOW CAN YOU GET AN INFINITESMALY MINUTE PARTICLE TO BLOAT AND EXPL-OAD (BIG-B!A-NG), WHERE DID THE PARTICLE COME FROM ( OUT OF NOTHING IMPOSSIBLE ), WHERE DID IT ACC-U-MULATE THE MATERIAL TO B-LO-AT AND EXPL-OAD ). DON'T GIVE ME THE HAWKING'S FAMOUS ANSWER "YOU DON'T KNOW THE MATH?" GUESS WHAT, THE BIG B!A-NG WAS ONE OF THE INFINITE ACTIONS AND REACTIONS, WITHIN THE INFINITE UNIVERSES WITHIN THE INFINITE. AND IT WAS NOT ONE INFINITESMALY MINUTE PARTICLE THAT STARTED IT ALL, BUT INFINITE. WHAT INSTEAD IS, IS THAT INFINITESMALY MINUTE PARTICLES FORM FORMATIONS AND OBJECTS AND EXISTENCES WITHIN THE INFINITE CONSTANTLY.

SO MUCH STUDYING AND YOU HAVE NOT ACHIEVED TO GRASP SUCH A SIMPLE CONCEPT TSK, TSK, IT MIND-BOGGLES YOU DOESN'T IT? BUT WHAT GOOD IS THE ACC-U-MULATION OF INFORMATION, IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE CLARITY OF MIND TO QUESTION THE SOURCES AND THEIR MOTIVES, BALANCE ALL DATA, AND GENERATE THE TRUTH AND GAIN ACCURATE KNOWLEDGE? YOUR EDUCATION IS HALLOW. WITH ALL YOUR MATH AND PHYSICS AND YOU STILL SUPPORT THAT ENZYMES IN CELLS MAKE ATP OUT OF SHERE COINCIDENCE. I HOPE YOU WILL NOT END UP TEACHING IN SCHOOL. THIS IS HOW FOUL, HOLLOW KNOWLEDGE CONTINUES TO INFECT THE MINDS OF THE YOUTH AND OUR SOCIETY. SAD AND SHAMEFULL FOR ALL THOSE INVOLVED.

BY THE WAY, I HAVE RARELY TAKEN TYLENOL OR ASPIRIN IN THE PAST (COUGHING PILLS ON ONE OCCASION), WHAT KIND OF DRUGS HAVE YOU USED AND ABUSED NOW JAMIE? FESS UP.

You said, "@ LINCA : YOU DON'T LIKE IT DON'T READ IT."
I won't. I hardly ever do. If it's more than a line or two, it's not worth the eye strain.

You said, "I LIKE MY CAPS."
That part is obvious, but If there is a point you are trying to get across, it is lost because you are screaming. The perception of yourself that you leave with your readers isn't very flattering.

Dont blame god cause some crazy person who is seriously messed up killed people its not gods fault its not like god came down from heaven gave this man weapons and said ok son go killed people who are watching the batman movie come on i feel sorry for the victims and there familys but why is everything always blamed on religion or color some people are just bad apples punish him for what he did dont blame it on god and make people who believe in him pay for what that man did people need to stop blaming everything on someone else and pointing fingers whats has america become a big kindergarden play ground.

Im not blaming any "god" for anything!
Im just think it's important for people to one that the bible Koran, or the torah, or any other book isn't the word of god, but the word of man!

July 30, 2012 at 1:19 am |

Mark from Middle River

They are testaments to things that were witnessed. Which is why many are listed as such.

July 30, 2012 at 2:30 am |

tazanastazio

@ PEEPO PLEEZ

You wrote: "I just said simply because something is something doesn't mean it's god! And it certainly doesn't look like you or your image."

What is an infinte intelligence, Energy, and Matter ( the something that you describe ), if not GOD? And what does the word GOD mean to you? What is your "image?" How do you really look like OTHER THAN INFINITE MINUTE PARTICLES WHICH FORMED FROM THE INFINITE AND WERE PUT TOGETHER? Like I said give it a rest. I also told you that the Bible is written to be understood by the reader, regardless at which time in history he/she lived or the level of his cognitive abilities and education.

E=mc2 not god!
I dont know of anything with "infinite intelligence".
And god? Explained to me by your bible is
Yahweh, who instructs Moses and his Israelite army to attack the Midianites. After the Israelites won the battle they execute all the males, including the children, and they slaughter every woman whom was not a virgin, all on Yahweh’s orders. And also
a man that looks like me, because he made me in his image.
An image is a representation of the "external" form of a person or thing.
To me this isn't god or even close to a god. Its a plan for men who wrote the bible to get what they want and destroy what they do not.

OUT OF NOTHING NOTHING HAPPENS, INTO NOTHING SOMETHING CANNOT BE DESTROYED, THEREFORE THERE MUST ALWAYS HAVE BEEN SOMETHING BEFORE AND AFTER, OUT OF WHICH EVERY FORM OF ENERGY, INTELLIGENCE AND MATTER WOULD FORM AND TO WHICH EVERY FORM OF INTELLIGENCE ENERGY AND MATTER WOULD DISOLVE ( PARTICLES FROM WITHIN THE INFINITE FORM EVERYTHING WITHIN THE INFINITE AND EVERYTHING WITHIN THE INFINITE DISOLVES INTO PARTICLES WITHIN THE INFINITE ). THE INFINITE ENERGY, INTELLIGENCE AND MATTER FROM WHICH EVERY LIMITED EXISTENCE IS FORMED, AND TO WHICH EVERYTHING DISOLVES IS GOD. FOR THE CHRISTIANS CHRIST IS THE INFINITE'S MANIFESTATION IN OUR SECTOR OF THE INFINITE OR THE HIGHEST REPRESENTING FORCE OF OUR GALAXY, UNIVERSE, SECTOR WITHIN THE INFINITE. FOR OTHERS THE INFINITE IS THE YIN AND YOUNG (TAOSISM), OTHER GROUPS BELIEVE IN OTHER MESSENGERS PROPHETS, BUT CHRISTIANS CAN CLAIM THAT THE VARIOUS WRITINGS OF THE BIBLE DEPICTED PROPHESIES WHICH WERE ALL FULFILLED LATER BY CHRIST (THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN BY DIFFERENT PEOPLE LIVING AT DIFFERENT TIMES AND DESCRIBING WHAT THEY COULD COMPREHEND WITH THEIR FINITE UNDERSTANDING FROM WHAT THE INFINITE GOD REVEALED TO THEM, THAT IS WHY THE MESSAGE AND TRUTH ABOUT GOD'S EXISTENCE AND THE PURPOSE OF THE HUMAN EXISTENCE, IS UNDERSTOOD ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, ACCORDING TO THE LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE AGE IN WHICH HE OR SHE LIVED – WE CANNOT EXPECT FOR THE INFINITE TO EXPLAIN QUANTUM MECHANICS TO PEOPLE WHO COULD BARELY COUNT ON THEIR FINGERS FOR EXAMPLE ). THE INFINITE GOD IS ONE INFINITY ( AND TRULY AT SOME POINT YOU HAVE AN INFINITE MACROCOSM/EVERYTHING AND AN INFINITE MICROCOSM/NOTHING BECAUSE WE CAN ONLY OBSERVE, MEASURE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR FINITE COGNITIVE ABILITIES ALLOW US TO).

Having nothing to support your argument for the non-existence of GOD, since you cannot answer simply how is it that you exist if there was not a starting point that lead to your existence, but an absolute nothing (as atheists support), you act like a bully in a school yard picking the boogers out of your nose ( a chain of actions and reactions within the Infinite caused the chasm on Earth )

Give it a rest, because even a bully in a school yard would know that out of nothing nothing happens, but of course it would take the nerd to conceive what the bully would not get even perhaps at a ripe old age; that what was always before the something which lead to the "thing" on the bully's hand, was the Infinite and that what's on the bully's hand can be infinitely divided; or that between the bully's pinky and his thumb exists an infinity in itself, as is between the number 1 and another number 1 ( one unit and another unit ), which make the number 2 (two units), or that the bully's hand will at one infinitely minute point in time disolve into the INFINITE, give it a rest, since you cannot comprehend what lays between the fine letters, let alone conceive the truth, and distill knowledge from the ore your inadequate imagination fails to mine.

Just because you keep repeating the same old B.S. Doesn't make it true.
but im sure thats how someone made you believe it!

Stop giving into the fear imparted in you as a child, and learn to think for yourself. Breakaway from your shackles, and wake from your ZOMBIE!!! Walking around in a mindless state isn't healthy for you or society!

July 30, 2012 at 12:30 am |

Jamie

Geez, how can all those big fancy words amount to such stupidity. I have a degree in science and have worked with physicists and astronomers for almost a decade. So, I am gonna take the high road and call you a retard. You know absolutely nothing about the concept of infinity or quantum theory. You probably read some poorly written about about how quantum theory relates to God, the universe, and humans, which was most likely written by someone who knows just enough science to be dangerous. Also, I know of no atheists or scientists that believe that there was nothing before the universe. The connections that you make are like those of someone on drugs. I am going to bed now, but I will be back tomorrow explain the laughable amount of illogical and false statements that you made. Oh, answer this, if want can't prove that the Hindu god exist, does that automatically mean he existed? Your "no proof of no god" argument is known as the Flying Spaghetti Monster debate.

I AM NOT GOING TO TAKE ALL NIGHT TO RESPOND TO YOUR BLINDING ARROGANCE. YOU SAID YOU WORKED WITH ASTRONOMERS AND PHYSICISTS, IT IS TRUE DEGREES COST A LOT OF MONEY (WHAT DID IT COST YOU TO GET THAT DEGREE, BECAUSE YOU SURELY ARE GIVING SCIENCE MAJORS A HELL OF A BAD NAME). WELL DUST OF YOUR PHYSICS BOOKS AND YOU ANSWER THIS INSTEAD: HOW CAN YOU GET AN INFINITESMALY MINUTE PARTICLE TO BLOAT AND EXPL-OAD (BIG-B!A-NG), WHERE DID THE PARTICLE COME FROM ( OUT OF NOTHING IMPOSSIBLE ), WHERE DID IT ACC-U-MULATE THE MATERIAL TO B-LO-AT AND EXPL-OAD ). DON'T GIVE ME THE HAWKING'S FAMOUS ANSWER "YOU DON'T KNOW THE MATH?" GUESS WHAT, THE BIG B!A-NG WAS ONE OF THE INFINITE ACTIONS AND REACTIONS, WITHIN THE INFINITE UNIVERSES WITHIN THE INFINITE. AND IT WAS NOT ONE INFINITESMALY MINUTE PARTICLE THAT STARTED IT ALL, BUT INFINITE. WHAT INSTEAD IS, IS THAT INFINITESMALY MINUTE PARTICLES FORM FORMATIONS AND OBJECTS AND EXISTENCES WITHIN THE INFINITE CONSTANTLY.

SO MUCH STUDYING AND YOU HAVE NOT ACHIEVED TO GRASP SUCH A SIMPLE CONCEPT TSK, TSK, IT MIND-BOGGLES YOU DOESN'T IT? BUT WHAT GOOD IS THE ACC-U-MULATION OF INFORMATION, IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE CLARITY OF MIND TO QUESTION THE SOURCES AND THEIR MOTIVES, BALANCE ALL DATA, AND GENERATE THE TRUTH AND GAIN ACCURATE KNOWLEDGE? YOUR EDUCATION IS HALLOW. WITH ALL YOUR MATH AND PHYSICS AND YOU STILL SUPPORT THAT ENZYMES IN CELLS MAKE ATP OUT OF SHERE COINCIDENCE. I HOPE YOU WILL NOT END UP TEACHING IN SCHOOL. THIS IS HOW FOUL, HOLLOW KNOWLEDGE CONTINUES TO INFECT THE MINDS OF THE YOUTH AND OUR SOCIETY. SAD AND SHAMEFULL FOR ALL THOSE INVOLVED.

BY THE WAY, I HAVE RARELY TAKEN TYLENOL OR ASPIRIN IN THE PAST (COUGHING PILLS ON ONE OCCASION), WHAT KIND OF DRUGS HAVE YOU USED AND ABUSED NOW JAMIE? FESS UP.

July 30, 2012 at 4:01 am |

tazanastazio

OUT OF NOTHING NOTHING HAPPENS, INTO NOTHING SOMETHING CANNOT BE DESTROYED, THEREFORE THERE MUST ALWAYS HAVE BEEN SOMETHING BEFORE AND AFTER, OUT OF WHICH EVERY FORM OF ENERGY, INTELLIGENCE AND MATTER WOULD FORM AND TO WHICH EVERY FORM OF INTELLIGENCE ENERGY AND MATTER WOULD DISOLVE ( PARTICLES FROM WITHIN THE INFINITE FORM EVERYTHING WITHIN THE INFINITE AND EVERYTHING WITHIN THE INFINITE DISOLVES INTO PARTICLES WITHIN THE INFINITE ). THE INFINITE ENERGY, INTELLIGENCE AND MATTER FROM WHICH EVERY LIMITED EXISTENCE IS FORMED, AND TO WHICH EVERYTHING DISOLVES IS GOD. FOR THE CHRISTIANS CHRIST IS THE INFINITE'S MANIFESTATION IN OUR SECTOR OF THE INFINITE OR THE HIGHEST REPRESENTING FORCE OF OUR GALAXY, UNIVERSE, SECTOR WITHIN THE INFINITE. FOR OTHERS THE INFINITE IS THE YIN AND YOUNG (TAOSISM), OTHER GROUPS BELIEVE IN OTHER MESSENGERS PROPHETS, BUT CHRISTIANS CAN CLAIM THAT THE VARIOUS WRITINGS OF THE BIBLE DEPICTED PROPHESIES WHICH WERE ALL FULFILLED LATER BY CHRIST (THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN BY DIFFERENT PEOPLE LIVING AT DIFFERENT TIMES AND DESCRIBING WHAT THEY COULD COMPREHEND WITH THEIR FINITE UNDERSTANDING FROM WHAT THE INFINITE GOD REVEALED TO THEM, THAT IS WHY THE MESSAGE AND TRUTH ABOUT GOD'S EXISTENCE AND THE PURPOSE OF THE HUMAN EXISTENCE, IS UNDERSTOOD ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, ACCORDING TO THE LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE AGE IN WHICH HE OR SHE LIVED – WE CANNOT EXPECT FOR THE INFINITE TO EXPLAIN QUANTUM MECHANICS TO PEOPLE WHO COULD BARELY COUNT ON THEIR FINGERS FOR EXAMPLE ). THE INFINITE GOD IS ONE INFINITY ( AND TRULY AT SOME POINT YOU HAVE AN INFINITE MACROCOSM/EVERYTHING AND AN INFINITE MICROCOSM/NOTHING BECAUSE WE CAN ONLY OBSERVE, MEASURE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR FINITE COGNITIVE ABILITIES ALLOW US TO).

Having nothing to support your argument for the non-existence of GOD, since you cannot answer simply how is it that you exist if there was not a starting point that lead to your existence, but an absolute nothing (as atheists support), you act like a bully in a school yard picking the boogers out of your nose ( a chain of actions and reactions within the Infinite caused the chasm on Earth )

Give it a rest, because even a bully in a school yard would know that out of nothing nothing happens, but of course it would take the nerd to conceive what the bully would not get even perhaps at a ripe old age; that what was always before the something which lead to the "thing" on the bully's hand, was the Infinite and that what's on the bully's hand can be infinitely divided; or that between the bully's pinky and his thumb exists an infinity in itself, as is between the number 1 and another number 1 ( one unit and another unit ), which make the number 2 (two units), or that the bully's hand will at one infinitely minute point in time disolve into the INFINITE, give it a rest, since you cannot comprehend what lays between the fine letters, let alone conceive the truth, and distill knowledge from the ore your inadequate imagination fails to mine.

July 30, 2012 at 12:22 am |

$tillRun!n1@Ya.com

The way I see it...everybody believes in something...god or no god...we can all agree that what happened that night was terrible...and my heart goes out to the familys of the victims...I don't know of any god that would look at this and be okay with it...simply put...tragic just tragic.

July 30, 2012 at 12:14 am |

tazanastazio

@ PEEPO PLEEZ

OUT OF NOTHING NOTHING HAPPENS, INTO NOTHING SOMETHING CANNOT BE DESTROYED, THEREFORE THERE MUST ALWAYS HAVE BEEN SOMETHING BEFORE AND AFTER, OUT OF WHICH EVERY FORM OF ENERGY, INTELLIGENCE AND MATTER WOULD FORM AND TO WHICH EVERY INTELLIGENCE ENERGY AND MATTER WOULD DISOLVE ( PARTICLES FORM EVERYTHING FORM THE INFINITE AND EVERYTHING DISOLVES INTO PARTICLES WITHIN THE INFINITE ). THE INFINITE ENERGY, INTELLIGENCE AND MATTER FROM WHICH EVERY LIMITED EXISTENCE IS FORMED IS GOD. FOR THE CHRISTIANS CHRIST IS THE INFINITE'S MANIFESTATION IN OUR SECTOR OF THE INFINITE OR THE HIGHEST REPRESENTING FORCE OF OUR GALAXY, UNIVERSE, SECTOR WITHIN THE INFINITE. FOR OTHERS THE INFINITE IS THE YIN AND YOUNG (TAOSISM), OTHER GROUPS BELIEVE IN OTHER MESSENGERS PROPHETS, BUT CHRISTIANS CAN CLAIM THAT THE VARIOUS WRITINGS OF THE BIBLE DEPICTED PROPHESIES WHICH WERE ALL FULFILLED LATER BY CHRIST (THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN BY DIFFERENT PEOPLE LIVING AT DIFFERENT TIMES AND DESCRIBING WHAT THEY COULD COMPREHEND WITH THEIR FINITE UNDERSTANDING FROM WHAT THE INFINITE GOD REVEALED TO THEM, THAT IS WHY THE MESSAGE AND TRUTH ABOUT GOD'S EXISTENCE AND THE PURPOSE OF THE HUMAN EXISTENCE, IS UNDERSTOOD ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, ACCORDING TO THE LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE AGE IN WHICH HE OR SHE LIVED – WE CANNOT EXPECT FOR THE INFINITE TO EXPLAIN QUANTUM MECHANICS TO PEOPLE WHO COULD BARELY COUNT ON THEIR FINGERS FOR EXAMPLE ). THE INFINITE GOD IS ONE INFINITY ( AND TRULY AT SOME POINT YOU HAVE AN INFINITE MACROCOSM/EVERYTHING AND AN INFINITE MICROCOSM/NOTHING BECAUSE WE CAN ONLY OBSERVE, MEASURE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR FINITE COGNITIVE ABILITIES ALLOW US TO).

Having nothing to support your argument for the non-existence of GOD, since you cannot answer simply how is it that you exist if there was not a starting point, but an absolute nothing, you act like a bully in a school yard picking the boogers out of your nose ( a chain of actions and reactions within the Infinite caused the chasm on Earth )

Give it a rest, because even a bully in a school yard would know that out of nothing nothing happens, but of course it would take the nerd to conceive what the bully would not get even perhaps at a ripe old age, that what was always before the something which lead to the "thing" on the bully's hand was the Infinite and that what's on the bully's hand can be infinitely divided, or that between the bully's pinky and thumb exists an infinity in itself, as is between the number 1 and another number 1 ( one unit and another unit ), which make 2, or that the bully's hand will at one infinitely minute point in time disolve into the INFINITE, give it a rest Tom, Tom with the spelling, since you cannot comprehend what lays between the fine letters, let alone conceive the truth, and distill knowledge from the ore your inadequate imagination fails to mine.

GOD I S THE INFINITE, AND THE INFINITE I S GOD, THE INFINITE ENERGY, INTELLIGENCE, MATTER FROM WHICH EVERY EXISTENCE EVOLVES (froms) AND TO WHICH EVERY EXISTENCE "DISOLVES" ("disolves / de-forms" for lack of better terms).

July 30, 2012 at 12:07 am |

tazanastazio

Correction:
PARTICLES FORM EVERYTHING FROM THE INFINITE AND EVERYTHING DISOLVES INTO PARTICLES WITHIN THE INFINITE ). THE INFINITE ENERGY, INTELLIGENCE AND MATTER FROM WHICH EVERY LIMITED EXISTENCE IS FORMED IS GOD.

When the word Yahweh is used in this book, it refers to the main deity of the Bible. Yahweh is used instead of God for that deity because the two are not necessarily the same. According to the Bible, Yahweh created the universe, punished all humans for the sin of the first man and woman with suffering and death, flooded the entire Earth to kill most air-breathing creatures, established the nation of Israel to teach other nations and beget the Messiah, became incarnate as a human being through a virgin, atoned for humanity's sins through His own sacrificial death to Himself, resurrected from the dead, and ascended to Heaven. Yet according to many philosophers, God exists but Yahweh does not. God created the universe but did not do all the other things Yahweh is said to have done. Unless I am quoting the Bible, when I use the word God, I mean the real creator of the universe, which is probably not Yahweh!!

Queen Lorraine intentionally doesn't use the "reply" button (in fact, it's a mistake when she does). She thinks her new threads stand out more; and she thinks that it makes her in charge of what follows.

“When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.” - Winnie the Pooh

AND HERE'S THE WINNING ANNOUNCEMENT ....
Dear Lord!
Discrimination is off limits!
This puts a massive forcefield around us!
Discrimination is off limits!
Amen our new massive forcefield!

July 29, 2012 at 11:44 pm |

Lorraine

peepo pleez, No YHWH did not write it, that is because Jeremiah, and his collegue wrote it idiot, from the Word of YHWH. And someone like yourself is cut off from the wisdom, and knowledge to understand it anyway, Malachi 2:12, sorry.

The last time I checked Stalin was not a religious zealot. Mao was not a religious zealot. In fact they were atheists who killed millions of people and caused a lot of problems that we are still dealing with today.
Ghandi, Dr. King, Mother Teresa and others like them solved problems.
There are good and bad people in and outside of religion.

Most ppl walking around this earth plain don't get it! They are either stuck in the doggma of their religion or they are completely ignorant to the realities of heaven. The fact is, each and everyone of us are here for a definate purpose. Each one has a path to follow that we ourselves agreed to before we came here! Even murders! You must read more, look into the world of spiritulism and you will learn and discover these things. You will therefore have a different understanding of why things happen, even the bad.

Atheists do not loose a chance to futily attempt to make a point against God's existence, since they cannot answer the fundamental question: HOW DID THE INFINITE COME OUT OF NOTHING AND NOWHERE? GOD IS THE INFINITE AHEISTS, THE INFINITE ENERGY, INTELLIGENCE AND MATTER. EXISTENCES AND OBJECTS FORM FROM THE INFINITE AND DISOLVE BACK TO THE INFINITE. THE INFINITE ENCOMPASSES ALL EXISTENCES AND EVERY CONCEPT AND IS INFINITE FROM EVERY PERSPECTIVE. THAT IS WHY IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN, IS AND WILL BE. All existences, exist to serve a purpose within the Infinite, according to their ability and level of responsibility. Because they are part of the Infinite and because the Infinite is not a limited mechanical existence, all existences have free will.Existences to exist must have self-interest ( to want to continue to exist). Because of their self interest and limited existence they want to make the best out of their existence and sometimes become "selfish" ( do what they please and violate the rights of other existences) They want to separate themselves from the Infinite. Hence negativity ( negative effect on the existence of other's , "evil" ) is formed ( good or evil – emerging properties of free will ). Life is a learning experience and a test. According to how well existences do, they either achieve a higher or lower level of existence, or disperse within the Infinite ( are being recycled to particles which form the stars, the planets, objects etc. or are complete dispersed within the Infinite ( they die ) ) . "Good" existences ( those which follow the directions of the Infinite and do their duty according to their level of responsibility, and "Evil" existences ( those who rebel, separate themselves from God), contrast each other, constantly within the Infinite.

Where was the Infinite/God during the Aurora incident? God is within every infinite minute particle of everything. Where were the security guards, after the door opened, and why did not an alarm alerted any guards to arrive at the open door with THEIR guns drown? If the "evil" existences managed to win this round, because the theater enterprise was cutting corners and for whatever other reason, such as that maybe the perpetrator was on psychedelic medication by who knows what age and for what reason, and was playing video games with center theme to shoot, slice and k!!i-ll, WHY IS THAT GOD'S FAULT, AND HOW DOES IT PROVE ANYTHING OTHER THAN THAT THERE IS A CONSTANT BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD, SENSIBLE, LOGICAL, ORDERLY AGAINST EVIL, INSANE, REBELIOUS, DISORDERLY, HOW DOES THE AURORA INCIDENT PROVE THAT GOD DOES NOT EXIST, SINCE OUT OF NOTHING NOTHING HAPPENS, AND NOTHING CAN BE DISTROYED INTO OR FROM NOTHING?

July 29, 2012 at 10:40 pm |

tazanastazio

If there is anything to learn from this experience, is what would have happened if an organized plot was to take place through out the movie theaters and malls of the US. That is why it is the police that should have the better guns, not the psychotic and the thugs. That is why in every movie theater there shall be established a well functioning alarm system, with cameras outside the door, and sound which immidiately would alert, an adequate number of well trained, armed and background checked security guards to arrive ready to apprehend the perpotrator and provide for the safety for all the innocent individuals who spent their money to have a good time not to get shot at ( enterprises cut corners and then we complain about security and unemployment , charge what you charge for the concession if you have to without serving the soda and the pop- corn, I rather stay lean, healthy, intact and alive). AS IT STANDS, I AM NOT GOING TO WATCH THE BATMAN MOVIE NO MATTER THE REVIEWS. WHO KNOWS HOW MANY JOKERS ARE OUT THERE.

. You sure are long winded!! Try to make your replies using talking points instead of just rambling.

But to your post.. Whatever is and always has been, isn't necessarily god. Especially in the self serving way you think. What if, whatever is and always was, is simply what is and always was?

You see a crack in the earth, and you think someone had to make it. What if the crack in the ground was created through gravitational pull, and tectonic plates.. Neither of which are made in our image!!

July 29, 2012 at 11:45 pm |

Lorraine

talluah13, and jwt, yes they were victims, innocent ones set up by their own, the zionist, began in 1897 Herzel Movement, look it up, and these men who want power do not mind to crack a few eggs to make an omlet to reach to the top, trust me. They are true demagoques, instigaters to the max.

jwt, Roswell, too was set up by liars, instigating out of hate, and jealousy, its all the same in a nutshell, evil people. This is what is all is these evil people choosing to do what they want to. This is no blame on YHWH, for as He taught us in Jeremiah 17:1-10, of mankind and their ways.

The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.